Stolen Roses
by DeathInAPrettyPinkDress
Summary: Rose Shaw promised she'd never set foot in Franklin County again, but her sick mother brings her back. She doesn't want to get involved with the Bondurant's again, especially with her history with the middle brother. Unfortunately, when the law begins to crack down on illegal liquor sales, she gets drawn back into the world she walked away from. ForrestxOC
1. Chapter 1

_If you've got visions of the past_  
_Let them follow you down_  
_And they'll come back to you someday_  
_And I've found myself attached_  
_To this railroad track_  
_But I'll come back to you someday_  
_-Ghost Town, First Aid Kit_

_Chapter One_

_1924_

Rose Shaw grabbed the envelope from the passenger's seat and held it close to her chest, the bright smile spread across her lips refusing to leave. She practically threw the car door open and jumped out, slamming the door shut behind her. She practically ran up the steps of Blackwater Station. She was someone who always looked put together, but no one would know with how she looked now. She was wearing the peach and white striped dress that she had been wearing the day before. Her long brown hair, which she often styled in a faux bob to mimic the popular style, was falling down her shoulders in soft curls, looking like it had barely been brushed it, and she wasn't wearing the red lipstick that she never left the house without. Her left stocking was sagging slightly as one side hadn't been strapped in Rose's hurry.

Rose ran into Blackwater Station, looking around for Forrest. She didn't see him, but she did see his older brother Howard sitting at the bar. Rose immediately ran over to him, almost crashing into the bar as she did so. She clearly startled him as he started coughing, choking on his drink. Rose could only assume that it was moonshine. She was well aware of the Bondurant's making and selling alcohol despite the prohibition. It made them good money and the law in Franklin County turned a blind eye to it. Rose didn't judge them for it. When you deny people something, they only want it more. And while she didn't like it when things got violent, Rose herself turned a blind eye. She did it out of love for Forrest.

"Christ, girl!" Howard exclaimed. "Where's the damn fire?"

"Sorry, Howard," said Rose, trying to laugh as she caught her breath. "Where's Forrest?

"In his office," said Howard. "What are—"

"Thanks!" Rose said, running towards Forrest's office, not giving Howard the chance to finish.

Normally, when Rose went to Forrest's office, she would knock on the door and wait for his usual grunt before entering. Not today, though. Today, she was too excited. She simply barged right in, not really even thinking about it, and she had clearly took him off guard. He practically jumped up from his desk. Rose practically ran to him, throwing her arms around him and greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. This was clearly unexpected to Forrest, and Rose could tell. Forrest wasn't the most affectionate person, or the most open when it came to expressing emotions. Rose was far more open with her emotions, but she tried not to make Forrest uncomfortable, being far more reserved about it when they were around others. She was a bit more open in private, as was Forrest, though their versions of 'open' were very different. But even when the two of them were in private, Rose was never this enthusiastic and open. In her hand, she was still holding the envelope, clutching it tightly, like it would disappear if she let go of it.

"What the hell happened?" Forrest asked.

He was looking over her disheveled appearance. He had been the only person to see her in such a state, and she had made it clear to him. There had been plenty of times when she rushed to put her clothes on in the early hours of the morning, and run home from the station, so she could get home before her mother woke up and realized that her daughter had been spending the night with a man whom she was not yet married to. If it weren't for the beaming smile she wore, he would have thought that she had been attacked. Rose took a deep breath and stepped back, the smile never leaving her face.

"Look," said Rose opening the envelope and pulling out the letter, showing it to him. "That article I sent in? They're gonna publish it. And they were so impressed, they want me to write more!"

Ever since she was a little girl, Rose had wanted to be a journalist, and that was something that had never been a secret. The best present she ever received was the typewriter her parents got her for her birthday when she was ten. Since she got that, she was constantly typing away, writing articles on anything she could. Two years ago, when she turned eighteen, she began sending in her articles to various publications, but she had yet to actually get anything published. That was, until today. Her mother had woke her up with the letter, sitting on the bed beside her as Rose read the letter. Emily Shaw had been thrilled for her daughter, but the two barely had time to celebrate before Rose just barely threw herself together to get to Blackwater Station to tell her fiancee the good news.

Forrest had been supportive in her journalistic endeavors. She would always ask his opinion on articles she wrote, and he would always give it, though being a man of few words, and minimal knowledge of journalism, he would usually mutter something along the lines of 'It's good,' and leave it at that. But when it came to having a wife who would be writing all the time, it didn't seem to bother him. Rose had made it clear from a very young age, from the age of seven, before any sort of relationship had even formed, when the two of them were just children, and no romantic feelings were there, she had made it clear that she would never marry any man who wanted to make her just a housewife. She would happily marry a man, be supportive of him, give him a warm meal every night, keep a clean house, bear his children, just as would be expected of her. But she wouldn't do just that. She would be a journalist, and she wanted her husband to be just as supportive of her as she would be of him.

"And look at the pay!" Rose continued. "A penny a word. I made two dollars off this!"

Rose looked to Forrest expectantly. She wanted him to say something. Anything. Even if it was just the 'good' he gave her whenever he read one of her articles. She hadn't expected him to jump for joy like she was. That just wasn't in his nature. But she hoped for some form of congratulations. She was supportive of him when it came to moonshining, and she hoped for the same when it came to her writing. Her disapproval of that wasn't out of respect for the law, but rather fear for Forrest. Forrest wasn't an easy man to read, but Rose had practice, and she could tell he didn't look pleased.

"You read this thing through?" Forrest asked.

"'Course I did," said Rose, walking towards Forrest. "D'ya think I missed something?"

Rose went to stand next to Forrest and looked over the letter. She couldn't have missed anything. She hadn't actually believed it at first. She had read the letter over and over and over to make sure that she hadn't been dreaming. She even pinched herself, not thinking that any of it was real. Rose read over the letter again, and once more for good measure. She had probably already read it over ten times by this point. It was impossible for her not to have thoroughly read it over. At this point, she could probably recite the whole letter from memory. Reading it over one last time, the letter was the same as it had been every time she had already read it, nothing was different. The thank you for writing the article, the congratulations on being accepted, the message that the two dollars she had earned had been enclosed, the want for more of her writing. Then there was the part of her going up to Alexandria for a few months and… it hit her. She would have to leave. But it was only a few months, and then she'd be back. Rose couldn't see what the big deal was. A few months was nothing, and it was for her to expand on something that had been her dream since she was six. She thought, that of all people, Forrest would be the first one to accept it. It's not like it would interrupt the wedding. They hadn't even picked a day yet. It had been a mutual agreement between the two of them that they were in no rush. They had just agreed that the end game between the two of them was that they were married, they had both agreed that they would have preferred to not have a large wedding. They had agreed that the only people that they wanted there were Forrest's brothers and Rose's mother. Rose honestly didn't have any intention of buying a new dress. She was just going to wear the nicest one she owned. In all honestly, the wedding was already planned out, and all that needed to be done was to pick a date. They had decided they would go to the church, get married, come back to the station, and have dinner. Nothing flashy, nothing special, just a quite, subtle affair.

"Is it about Alexandria?" Rose asked, her voice soft.

"You gonna go?" Forrest asked.

Rose didn't have to think about it. When she first read the letter, she had been thrilled at the offer. She was still thrilled at the offer. It was a once in a lifetime sort of thing and she doubted she would get one again. The paper would put her up in an apartment and the pay was good, and it was only three months. She would be back in no time.

But now that she was looking at Forrest, she wasn't so sure. She would have thought that he would be happy for her. Even if he wasn't the best when it came to expressing his emotions and using words to describe them, she was expecting something other than asking her if she was going to take them up on the offer.

"'Course I'm gonna go," said Rose, almost getting defensive. "Why wouldn't I?"

This had been her dream ever since she was a little girl, and she was finally getting the chance to do something about it. She had been sending articles to the local papers since she was eighteen, two years of nothing but rejection, and now she was finally going to have that dream become a reality. She wasn't going to give that up for anything, not even Forrest, or at least that was what she was telling herself.

Three months, that was it. Just three months. They had no plans on getting married withing the next year, let alone the next three months. Three months was nothing. She was sure that the two of them could manage just fine. She would go and come back and perhaps then they might pick a date for the wedding. It wasn't like there was a whole lot of planning that went into it. Short and simple and quiet, that's all they wanted. No details about the wedding mattered, so long as at the end of the day, they were married. It's not like anything would change in their relationship. Rose spent plenty of nights at the station with Forrest. The only thing that would change was Rose would be able to stay there, fall asleep and wake up in Forrest's arms, and it wouldn't have to be rushed with a quick goodbye, like it was now.

Forrest didn't respond to her question and Rose sighed. She loved Forrest, of course she did. She would never agree to marry a man that she didn't love. But she also wanted to work. She wanted to be a journalist. Those two things would never change.

"It's only three months," said Rose. "Three months is nothing. I'll be back before you can even miss me. You won't even know that I'm gone."

Rose couldn't think of anything that he could say that would make her stay. If she was going to be gone longer, than there were plenty of things that he could say. But three months was nothing. It would be hard, of course. There was rarely a day that went by that they didn't see each other. But they could manage three months. Couldn't they?

A few more moments passed and Forrest still hadn't answered her question. To Rose, it looked like he was trying to think of what exactly to say. Rose had always been a little too headstrong. When she was told not to do something, she would do the exact opposite, out of sheer hatred for being told what and what not to do. And if Forrest told her to stay, she would almost certainly go.

"Come on, Forrest," said Rose. "Say something."

Rose almost sounded desperate for him to say something. For as headstrong as she was, and if he told her to stay, she would, she didn't want anyone to get hurt. She loved Forrest and the last thing that she wanted was to hurt him. And a part of her was tempted to stay if he told her to. She had never had to make a decision like this, and she thought it would be so easy for her to do, but now, she wasn't so sure. She had been so eager to tell Forrest about this and, as he had always been so supportive of her in the past, she thought that it would be the same now. But it looked like it wasn't. He didn't seem to thrilled for her to be going, even if it was just a short amount of time. Rose had never spent much time away from her mother either, and her mother thought the offer was a wonderful one, and she had been very encouraging of her only child going to Alexandria in attempt to live out her childhood dreams.

"Ain't nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?" Forrest asked.

Rose hated the way Forrest was speaking, making it sound like she was going states away. She wasn't going that far in the grand scheme of things. And for such a short time to. She had been expecting nothing less than support from Forrest, the same way he had done throughout since their relationship formed. This was the last reaction she was expecting from him.

"No," said Rose, softly. "There ain't. C'mon, Forrest. It's only three months. I'll be back, then maybe we can pick a date."

Forrest was silent again, not responding to her words and Rose was getting frustrated. She wanted to make him see what a big opportunity it was for her. It was an opportunity that wouldn't come again, and if she didn't snatch it up while she could, who knows how long it'll take for her to get another article published. She couldn't pass up an offer such as this.

"Please," Rose continued. "I'll write and I'll call. I won't be disappearing entirely. And I'll be back before you even have time to notice I'm gone. This is an amazing opportunity."

Rose heard Forrest grunt, and Rose sighed. She knew that it work out just fine between the two of them. She'd go, learn some more about journalism and writing, and she'd come back, they'd marry and everything would be just fine. Three months was no time. She would write to him everyday, and she would call him often. Maybe she would have some time off she could come visit him.

"You'll come back in three months?" Forrest asked.

"'Course I will, silly," said Rose smiling.

If, in that moment, Rose knew that she wouldn't be seeing him for another seven years, she doubted that she would take the offer, no matter how good it was.

…

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and if you did (or didn't) please leave a review. Chapter two will be up soon. This will be a dual time story of sorts. Odd number chapters will be flashes of Forrest and Rose in the past in a non-linear fashion, even number chapters will be set in 1931, and follow the events of the movie.**

**Also, please know that I have not read The Wettest County In The World. I have every intention to, but I have not been able to yet, so this is solely based on the movie.**

**And my faceclaim for Rose is Lily James.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

_1931_

Rose couldn't help but smile as she watched the familiar trees pass by. The last time she had seen them was the day she left. She thought it would be only a few months and she would see this sight again. And then, after some time had passed, she didn't think she would ever see this sight again. It had turned into seven years. Had it really been that long? It all seemed so unchanged. Rose could only wonder if the same went for the people here. The people she had grown up with, her friends, her mother. Forrest. Had he changed? Had he missed her as much as she missed him? Did he regret what happened between the two of them as much as she had?

Rose hadn't changed that much, appearance-wise. She decided to cut her hair short, and she kept it like that for a while. Now, it had grown the be just above her shoulder, resulting in it being a long bob. She still always painted her nails red and wore red lipstick. She did look a little older, a more mature face, as well as a more mature air about her. She walked with more confidence, not that she hadn't always been confident, but it was more noticeable with how she carried herself. She was dressed in a sheer white dress that fell halfway down her calves. There was a ruffle of tulle at the hem of the skirt and her slip was just barely noticeable underneath the dress. She had a red belt around her waist and a matching short-sleeved jacket.

But, Rose liked to think that she had matured in more ways than one. She wasn't so naive as she had been when she left. She still believed in love, but she didn't believe that it could conquer all like she believed so many years ago. And she liked to believe that she was more worldly, as well, though that was entirely a matter of had spent a year and a half in Alexandria, two and a half in St. Louis, and the last three in Chicago. But she believed that she was far better suited to the big city than she was to a place like Franklin County. She had adapted to living in a city far quicker than she expected. She had continued to produce articles and she had made far more money than she had ever expected. She had always hoped to be able to support herself by writing. But she had done more than that. She lived in an apartment in Downtown Chicago with a living room bigger than her house in Franklin County. It was more than she had ever expected in life. She had never cared for the finer things in life, but that's because when she grew up she hadn't thought a girl like her could have it.

Rose had a few relationships since her and Forrest called off her engagement. Nothing serious a few dates with a few friends here and there. Every time she went out with a man, she always found herself comparing him to Forrest, and they never matched up. She thought of him everyday and when a man showed interest in her, she always wished it was Forrest. It was a silly thing to think about. The man was probably already married by now. Probably had a few kids, too. Rose didn't regret the decision. She told herself every morning when she woke up and every night before she went to bed that she didn't regret it.

And now, she would have to face him again. She wanted to avoid him as much as possible. But she couldn't do it forever. She doubted he thought highly of her after what happened between the two of them. But it would be inevitable for her to run across him eventually. The only way that she would be able to avoid him is if she shut herself up in her mother's house while she stayed there. And if she stayed in that house when she would be here for a month, at the very least, she would lose her damn mind. She would run across him eventually and that terrified her. The only thing that she would be able to do is avoid him for as long as she could. That couldn't last forever. She would have to face him eventually.

The train pulled to a stop, and Rose, along with everyone else stood and collected their belongings. Rose took a deep breath before stepping off the train, feeling a little nervous coming back to the place where she said she would go back to. It was a place full of 'what if's?' that Rose hated to think about. Her poor mother, was given only a few more months to live, at most. Rose had wanted to move her mother off to Chicago, so the two of them would be together. But her mother never budged, and Rose would be damned if she didn't get to see her mother one more time and spend as much time with her as she possibly could.

As much Rose was terrified of confronting Forrest after so many years apart, her desire to see her mother was greater than her fear. Rose was a bit of an oddity in a place like Franklin County. In a place where most people had at least three or four children, Rose was an only child. And as such, she had been the light of her parents life as a child and they doted on her. She had a close relationship with both of her parents. She had lost her father during the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, leaving just Rose and her mother. The loss of their father and husband brought mother and daughter closer than they had been before. But there was one distinction between the two of them. Ethel Shaw was born in Franklin County, and she would die in Franklin County. She was perfectly content where she was. Rose, however, had always hoped to get and see just a little bit of the world, even if just for a short amount of time. But despite Rose getting her wish, their relationship stayed the same. They wrote to each other often and called each other from time to time. And when her mother called telling her the news that there wasn't much time left for her, Rose broke down in tears and immediately packed and bought a ticket to Virginia. Her car was long gone. She found she hadn't needed it in Chicago. For the most part, everywhere she went was a close distance from her house, and if it was too far too walk, she could take a cab. Transportation was quicker and easier in Chicago, and she honestly preferred that to Franklin County where there were few roads, and if you had to walk someplace, it took a while to get there. Rose had two bags with her. She had one suitcase, containing her clothes and other necessities, and the other, her typewriter case. She wouldn't leave that behind. She couldn't. She had another one that she wrote on now, but she kept her old one, out of sentimental value. But she had to bring the old one with her, there was a nagging voice in her head telling her to. It was one of her most prized possessions that she couldn't live without.

Rose left the station and began making her way to the bus stop. Even with a bus ride from the train station, she would have to take quite a walk from there to the place that she once called home. And she'd be lugging two heavy cases with her. Rose missed the convenience of Chicago already.

The bus stops were much too far apart than they were in Chicago, as well. She could get used to the life that she used to live again, as much as she had gotten used to and preferred city life. But she hated transportation. There was a car that passed her on the street and stopped just in front of her. Rose paid no mind as she passed it until she was called to a stop.

"Miss Rosie!" a voice called from behind her.

Rose's head whipped around to the car and saw the man in the driver's seat sticking his head out the window with a wide grin on his face. For just a moment, Rose stared at him with a look of confusion, trying to place his face. Then a look of familiarity crossed her face, as well as a beaming smile.

"Jack Bondurant?" Rose asked, walking towards him. "Look at you! You're a man now!"

She could remember Jack Bondurant when she left. He had to have been about fifteen or sixteen. Now, he looked like a man. She remembered him as being the sweetest little boy, along with his best friend, Cricket Pate. Rose always had a soft spot for the two for the two of them. She would often sneak them a penny so they could buy a bit of candy.

Whenever Rose would call Forrest or write to him, she would always ask about Jack and she would always tell him to be sure to send him her love. He wasn't like his brothers. His brothers were tough and they had been since they were little. Jack wasn't though, and that, no doubt, was why Rose had developed such a soft spot for him. She almost forgot that when she saw him, he would be grown, but he still had that familiar eager grin.

"What're ya doin' here?" Jack asked her.

"I came to see Mama," Rose said, a soft, bittersweet smile crossing her face.

"Oh, yeah, heard 'bout that," said Jack, his voice loosing a bit of the cheerfulness that it held. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Thanks," said Rose softly.

"Hey, you need a ride?" Jack asked, his voice returning to cheery one he originally had.

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, hop in!" Jack said.

Rose didn't need to be told twice. She moved to the other side of the car, putting her bags down for just a moment so she could open the door and climb into the passengers seat. She got her bags and settled in, reaching across to give Jack a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She settled into the seat and Jack started driving to her mother's house.

"So, tell me everything I've missed," said Rose. "I want to know every detail!"

"Do ya really mean ya wanna know everything?" Jack asked. "Or about Forrest?"

Rose faltered. She did mean Forrest. She missed him and she hoped he missed her. There wasn't any animosity towards him on her part, Rose only hoped the same for him. A part of her hoped he was settled and married and happy, while another part of her hoped he wasn't. Well, she still wished for him to be happy, but she wanted him to be happy. She hoped he was happy.

"Sorry," said Jack, realizing what he said might have been a little insensitive.

"No, don't be," said Rose with a small smile. "How is he? Is he settled?"

"Nah," said Jack. "Don't rightly think I seen him with a girl since ya left."

"Really?" Rose asked, slightly shocked by the statement.

A part of her was ecstatic to know that Rose was not only unmarried, but never even went out with another girls since she left. She didn't know why it made her so happy. Any chance of the two of them being together was over and done with. As soon as everything with her mother was settled, she would be on her way back to Chicago, and never return to Franklin County again. And this time, she meant it. If her mother wasn't here, she had no reason to be here.

Another part of her was a little upset. She hoped that Forrest was married. It was a small part of her that wished it, considering how happy she was that he wasn't married, but hearing he wasn't made her feel a bit of hope that she quickly shut down. She couldn't try and be with Forrest. They had tried and it wasn't meant to be between the two of them. What use was there in trying again?

Her mind kept nagging her to feel a little bit of hope. That there was a chance that things could work out between her and Forrest, and Rose kept telling it to shut up. If it was meant to be, they would have been married for years, probably on baby number four or five at this point. But they went their separate ways, and that was that.

The rest of the ride was spent with Jack filling Rose in on what she had missed in the seven years since she was gone, and she told him all about her grand life in Chicago. She never thought that she would miss it just as much as she did. She wasn't surprised that everything seemed so unchanged, but she was happy to be back, happier than she thought she would be. She thought she would hate how it hadn't changed at all. But she found it relaxing to be in a place that was so familiar.

"Thank you so much!" said Rose as Jack pulled up in front of her old home.

She leaned over and gave him another hug and another kiss on the cheek.

"No problem," Jack said. "And ya come to the Station sometime soon. E'rybody'll be happy to see ya!"

Rose wanted to believe that was true.

"All right, Jack," said Rose. She didn't know if she was lying or not. "I'll be seeing you soon."

Rose grabbed her bags and turned walking towards her house. When she got to the door, she waved to Jack as he drove away.

Once he was out of sight, Rose took out her old key, one she was glad that she hadn't gotten rid of.

**…**

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think.**

**Also, a note on the timeline: this is about a few weeks before the start of the movie.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

_1919_

Her daddy was gone.

Forrest was sick.

Rose had been confined to her room since her father had taken ill. Her mother didn't want her to catch. Her mother had been sleeping downstairs on the couch. Her mother had come back only twenty minutes ago to tell Rose that her father had died, and news had come that Forrest was sick with Spanish Lady Flu, and that his parents had succumbed to the flu as well.

Rose knelt at her bedside with tears streaming down her face and began to pray.

She prayed for her father's soul.

She prayed for Mr. and Mrs. Bondurant's souls.

She prayed that she didn't lose Forrest.

She couldn't lose Forrest. He couldn't die.

She needed him to be alright.

He couldn't die without her telling him she loved him.

She had loved him for years. Ever since she was a little girl, she had dreamed of marrying him. Forrest was nineteen now, and she was only fifteen. There was little chance of a relationship for the two of them. The age gap was something that was too much, or at least, that was what her father had said at one point, when Rose had been rambling on and on and on about her crush on Forrest.

But that did nothing for her crush on him. It only grew and hearing that he was ill with something that had taken so many, did she realize that it was not going away any time soon.

Rose was never really the praying type. It wasn't that she didn't believe in God, she did, it was just that she didn't believe that He really cared about the world. She just believed that He sat up in Heaven watching His supposed creation mess everything up. She also didn't believe that prayer did anything. But now, she felt so hopeless. She was trapped in this house. She couldn't go outside or meet with friends for fear that she would catch the flu as well. There really wasn't anything else for her to do. But now, she felt hopeless. She wanted so badly to see Forrest, give him condolences for the loss of his parents. Talk to someone who would know how it felt to lose someone. But it was different for him. He lost them both. She, at least, still had her mother.

All she could do is sit up in her room, and wait a day or two before her father's funeral until she could leave the house. She felt like a prisoner, but she knew that her mother only did it out of worry. She had never been sickly, but this sickness was taking anyone and everyone, no matter how healthy they had been beforehand. And Rose couldn't think of anyone healthier than Forrest.

She didn't know how long this whole thing would last, she just hoped that it would end sooner rather than later, before it claimed any more lives, before it claimed Forrest's life. She felt that it was lucky for her to avoid getting sick as well. She was her parents only child, and now her mother had lost her husband, leaving her with her only child.

And, as the days went by, Rose had stayed in her room, her mother still not letting her leave, becoming too terrified to let her leave, not wanting to lose her only child. From her room, she could see her mother standing outside, burning the bed sheets that used to be on the bed she shared with her husband, as a way to eliminate any germs that might have been on there. She had seen the wood coffin her father's body was in be loaded onto a truck, the top of the coffin nailed shut, as a way to keep all the germs inside. It was hard for Rose to see, looking on from her room. Even if she would attend the funeral, she would never see her father again. She would never get the chance to give her father a proper goodbye.

Every day she would ask her mother at least twenty times if there was any news of Forrest. And every answer she got was some sort of variation of 'I don't know' and that only made Rose all the more anxious, desperate to know of what was going on with Forrest.

The week after her father's death was his funeral. It was a small affair, a quiet affair. Apart from Rose and her mother, there were only about eight others there. The only Bondurant there was Jack, who was only fourteen. It wasn't because her father wasn't a much-beloved member of the community. On the contrary, his presence would be sorely missed. It just seemed like everybody was either sick or had a family member who was sick and needing taking care of.

And it also seemed that everyone had lost someone to the Spanish Lady Flu. A parent, or a sibling, maybe more than one. Like poor Jack Bondurant and his big brother, Howard. They had lost both of their parents, and were now on the verge of losing their brother. Rose had only lost her father. It was a sad state they were in, when only losing one family member was considered lucky.

"Jack!" Rose called, and Jack turned to look at her. Rose quickly ran up to him. "I'm so sorry to hear about your mama and daddy. And about Forrest. How's he doing?"

"Thanks, Miss Rosie," said Jack.

It was funny to hear Jack call her Miss Rosie, and head the situation they were in not be so sad, she might have laughed at it. She was only two years older than him, there really wasn't any reason for him to call her 'Miss.' But that wasn't something to think about. She was almost worried that he would hear that Forrest had died. Having been shut up in her house for so long, she didn't see it as too far fetched of an idea. She was terrified that was what Jack would tell her.

"He ain't doin' good," said Jack. "Least that's what the doctor said."

"That's terrible!" Rose gasped, covering her mouth with her black-gloved hand.

"Oh, don't worry about that Miss Rosie," said Jack. "Forrest's a strong one. He's gonna survive this."

"Alright," said Rose. "You send him my love, alright?"

"'Course I will Miss Rosie," said Jack ith a smile.s older than him, there really wasn't any reason for him to call her 'Miss.' But that wasn't something to think about. She was almost worried that he would hear that Forrest had died. Having been shut up in her house for so long, she didn't see it as too far fetched of an idea. She was terrified that was what Jack would tell her.

"He ain't doin' good," said Jack. "Least that's what the doctor said."

"That's terrible!" Rose gasped, covering her mouth with her black-gloved hand.

"Oh, don't worry about that Miss Rosie," said Jack. "Forrest's a strong one. He's gonna survive this. It's gonna take a lot more than that to kill Forrest."

"Alright," said Rose. "You send him my love, alright?"

"'Course I will Miss Rosie," said Jack with a smile.

"Thanks, Jack," said Rose. "You take care of yourself, too, alright?"

Jack nodded. He was always happy go lucky, but getting a good look at him, for as strong as he was trying to be, Rose could tell that he was sad about his parents, and of course, Rose couldn't blame him. She had lost her father, but to lose both at once sounded like it would be too much for her to bear. And the threat of losing his brother was most likely not helping. There were people who survived this terrible epidemic, but unfortunately, it seemed like it was more likely that one would die than live. Rose hoped that it Forrest would be one of the rare ones who lived through this illness, and would not follow his parents so soon.

She left Jack and went to go stand with her mother. The two of them stood in front of the grave before Ethel left. Just before she left the cemetery, Rose went to her father's headstone. She put her hand on it for a minute, not doing anything, other than touching it. It was so odd to think that under that freshly dug grave, the gravity of the loss hitting her only just now. She kissed her hand and touched the headstone. She mumbled a quite:

"Goodbye, Daddy."

She read the stone once more, before she turned and left, tears pouring down her cheeks. Her father was a good man, taken from this world far too soon. She didn't even get to say a proper goodbye to him, and she would regret that for the rest of her life. Their last conversation before he took ill was about an article she wrote and asked his opinion on. He had given her nothing but praise for that, and Rose would cherish the memory of that conversation for the rest of her life.

Herbert Shaw

1879-1919

…

A week had passed and Rose had stayed in her house, locked in her room. Her mother was still afraid of her getting sick. There was still no news on how Forrest was doing. Rose tried to calm her fears by repeating the phrase 'no news is good news' over and over again. There were moments when it calmer her, and she felt her worries fade. There were others where it did no good. As much as she wanted it to work, it just didn't. It wasn't until her mother came into her room with lunch. Ethel's eyes were red and puffy much like Rose's were, both still mourning the loss of their husband and father.

"I'm sorry for all this, baby," said Ethel. "You know it's only to keep you safe, right? Once this is all over you can go anywhere you like, alright?"

"It's alright, Mama," said Rose. "I understand."

"But I do have some good news for you," Ethel said.

"Oh?" Rose asked.

"Forrest Bondurant is on the mend," Ethel said with a smile.

Rose looked at her mother with wide eyes and a look of shock across her face. She hadn't been expecting that. She had given up hope that he would live through this. She was almost just waiting for news that he died. After the shock of hearing this news wore off, a smile slowly crossed her face. She breathed a sigh of relief at the news, glad to hear some good news for once. It seemed every day she heard of someone whom she had known in some was dying of this terrible Flu. To hear of someone who had it, someone whom she had cared so much for, for that matter, was such a welcome news.

"Oh, Mama," Rose squealed. "Is he really?"

"Yeah, baby," said Ethel. "He is."

Ethel was well aware on how her daughter felt towards Forrest Bondurant. It was mostly because Rose was absolutely horrible when it came to hiding things, especially when it came to hiding things from her mother. Rose let out a small squeal and she went to hug her mother tightly. Ethel hugged her daughter back, laughing at how excited her daughter was. It was the first time that either of them had really smiled or laughed since Herbert died. It was nice o finally have some good news, after days and days of bad news that Ethel was constantly relaying to her daughter.

Rose hoped that this would be the start of more goodness than bad news. She hoped that the deaths would stop. She knew that it would take time for the deaths of the flu to stop altogether, but she hoped that perhaps they would become fewer and fewer and that they would eventually come to a stop, and that things might, hopefully, get back to normal before too long.

She could only hope.


End file.
